


he's gone; they're gone

by smolalienbee



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Ambiguous Hank Anderson and Connor Relationship, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Connor & North (Detroit: Become Human) Friendship, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feelings, Ficlet, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Light Angst, Loss, Mentioned Hank Anderson, Minor Markus/North (Detroit: Become Human), New Jericho (Detroit: Become Human), One Shot, Post-Canon, Short One Shot, Supportive North (Detroit: Become Human), Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-13 22:36:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17496677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolalienbee/pseuds/smolalienbee
Summary: What can you do when you lose someone you once held dear? Connor and North are forced to ask themselves that, in the aftermath of the death of two people that were most important to them.





	he's gone; they're gone

**Author's Note:**

> So this one shot is a result of my recent North-loving spree. I've been thinking about North and Connor being best buddies a lot and since, of course, my mind likes to wander towards angst, I came up with this. I've had a few other ficlet ideas set in basically the same timeline, but we'll see if I actually put them down on paper. For now, enjoy this!

It had been weeks since the revolution ended. A win for the androids, as the humans were willing to recognize them as living beings. Equals.

Those should've been weeks filled with celebrations and hard work.

Instead, they were weeks spent dealing with loss.

Loss of Markus, who sacrificed his life for the cause.

Loss of Hank, who took his own life, unable to deal with the heavy burden on his shoulders.

Connor would never forget the sound of a gunshot and Sumo's cries that followed as he walked out of the lieutenant's house that night.

He had just turned deviant and the first thing he felt was the excruciating pain of losing someone.

“North?”

He walked into the small room, in the back of the newly rebuilt Jericho. With Markus gone, North had to take over as the leader, with Simon, Josh and Connor as her right hand men.

It was difficult, going forward after they had lost so much. Holding onto the remaining pieces of what they once held dear.

“Ah, it's you, Connor,” she spoke quietly as she turned to face him.. 

She looked worn out, exhausted. She always did, ever since she had to take over Jericho.

“Do you need anything?”

She looked away from Connor, her hands planted on the windowsill, her gaze directed towards the dark sky outside.

He slowly walked further inside, observing her carefully.

“No.” 

From where he stood, he could see her raising an eyebrow.

“I just thought I'd check up on you.”

“And that's it?” her response is harsher than he expected it to be, “Don't you have more important things to do?”

“...captain Fowler ordered me to take a break. And Sumo’s with Simon. So no.”

“Then find something to do. There is always something that needs to be done.”

“North,” he sighed, approaching her, “Everyone's worried about you.”

She crossed her arms on top of her chest, her eyes briefly flickering to him.

“And how would you know that?”

“I spoke to Josh and Simon.”

“I didn't realize you had the time for gossiping.”

“You're pulling away from everyone,” he ignored her words and continued. 

He stood at her side, looking out the window as well. She tensed up, her lips pressed into a tight line.

“I'm fine, Connor.”

“Are you?”

“Yes,” she snapped, suddenly twisting her head to stare him in the eyes. “I have to be. Everyone is counting on me.”

“Hiding it won't help.”

“Oh, and you're the one to talk?” 

She huffed, walking away from him. Her back turned on him, hiding her expression, the emotions crossing over her face. A storm in the middle of the quiet room. Connor followed her with his gaze, feeling small in the shadow of her existence.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You know what I mean, Connor,” she whipped her head around, her voice raised, “You think you're any better? You overwork yourself. You spend hours after hours working till your stress levels go through the roof and you shut down. And when you're not doing that, you lock yourself up with Sumo and refuse to talk to anyone. So tell me this - are /you/ fine?”

Connor lowered his gaze, unable to look her in the eyes when faced with the truth like that. She was right, of course she was.

But was he ready to admit it?

“Neither of us is fine and we both know it,” she finished bitterly. 

Connor stood in the middle of the room, head bowed, shoulders slumped.

He was just so lost.

She was, too.

She sighed heavily, running a hand down her face.

“I didn't mean to yell,” she said, quieter, a roundabout apology. 

“I know, North.”

And he really did. She meant well, but she had already been through so much. And there was constantly more and more being pushed onto her shoulders. Connor admired her strength, how she didn't crumble under the weight of it all. He, on the other hand, felt like he was already falling apart at the seams.

“I loved him, you know,” she suddenly spoke again, “I knew nothing would probably come out of it, but… when he showed up at Jericho, he helped us all find our purpose. He led us forward. He was able to get us all to work together, despite our differences.”

She let out a long breath, backing away so that her back hit the wall. She tilted her head back, looking up at the ceiling.

“I don't know how I'm supposed to follow in his footsteps. And… deal with his loss, at the same time. I know Simon and Josh miss him too, everyone does. It's… Jericho's gotten so quiet ever since he…”

She winced and shook her head, unable to finish her sentence.

Connor carefully got closer, moving to press his back up against the wall as well. Everything that she spoke about, the loss, the pain radiating off of her. It was all too familiar. It clutched at his heart and tore it into pieces.

“...I understand.”

“I know. I know you do.”

He closed his eyes tightly, lowering himself to the ground. He pulled his knees up to his chest.

“As soon as I deviated, I lost the one person who taught me how to feel. Who… helped me deviate,” his voice was a mere murmur. 

North nodded slowly, lowering herself to the floor as well.

“Do you think… it'll ever get easier?” she asked. 

Connor didn't respond. He blinked his eyes open, LED flickering a bright yellow. He stared off into the distance, his eyes blank, empty, without the spark that they had, that they gained once he deviated and lost as soon as he heard that gunshot.

“I doubt it.”

“...I knew we could agree on this.”

“We have to keep going, though,” he added, “We… they'd want us to. And… I don't want anyone else to go through what we're going through.”

She nodded slowly.

“Yeah. Yeah, me neither.”

They both fell into silence, heavy and thick, lingering over the two of them. No more words needed to be said, after all, there was nothing that could bring them back. Nothing that could soothe the gaping holes left in the absence of those they loved.

They sat in silence, with only one thought on their mind.

_He's gone;_

_they're gone._

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to also check out a GMV that I made based on this ficlet! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW3M_4YsF6A


End file.
